The Enigma of Neji Hyuuga
by Firefox1000
Summary: Oneshot. Ten Ten thinks Neji trains too much. As his friend and teammate she decides to take matters into her own hands. Her plans for a simple outing end with unexpected results. This story is partly an exploration of TenTen and Neji's relationship and partly an analysis of the enigma that is Neji Hyuuga. *PLEASE READ CHP1 OF MY NARUHINA STORY FIRST!*


IMPORTANT NOTE: If you haven't yet done so, please read the first chapter of my other story ("Love and Friendship, They're Just Extensions of Each Other") first. It is a NaruHina story that is still ongoing. But reading at least its first chapter will allow you to appreciate the ending of this story more :)

I wrote this story because Neji is one of my favourite characters in Naruto. His character has always intrigued me. I wanted to explore different layers of his personality through is short story and at the same time develop his relationship with TenTen.

I'm a new writer but I put my heart and soul into writing this, and tried to make it different and interesting. So please review and let me know how I did! I would super appreciate it if you did! :D 3

As always constructive criticism is welcomed, but please be nice about it :)

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Silence penetrated the hidden leaf forrest. An ignortant bystander would have interpreted that silence as lack of activity. However, an attentive shinobi would easily hear and feel the movement of animals within the brush, inside tree hollows and underground. An even more alert shinobi might also discern the sharp sound of chakra slicing the air. The sound was so quiet it could have been mistaken for the wind.

Neji Hyuuga executed another gentle fist strike into the air, followed by another and another. Again and again he sliced with razor-sharp precision. With blinding speed he spun around, slapping the air to release a shock-wave of chakra. Still, not one sound was produced. With silent and deadly grace, he flowed through his practice routine, as though rehearsing an elegant dance. Two palm strikes, a tai-jutsu kick, a backward flip in mock avoidance of an enemy. Neji pushed himself to apply every ninja skill he had, seeking to surpass his limits; to attain even greater excellence. Pausing briefly, he balanced on one leg in one of the Hyuuga forms he adopted for precise, high-level jutsu. Aiming carefully, he stretched his arm before himself, spreading thumb and forefinger to concentrate chakra between them. It appeared as a pin-prick of light. Focusing still further, he suddenly released a burst of energy down his arm and witnessed the pinprick explode into a dazzling display of light and waves of chakra. That particular attack produced a sound; like a muffled explosion. Neji smiled slightly in self-satisfaction. It had taken him weeks of training to figure out that technique. Granted, it still needed work, but it was progress all the same.

Relaxing slightly, he checked the position of the sun. It was already midday. He had been training for longer than intended. Any other day he might have kept going until nightfall, but Ten Ten had made him promise to meet her at her parent's restaurant for lunch today. Something about "making sure he didnt ignore his health in his obsession with training". Neji didn't know what she was talking about.

All the same, he began the slow walk back toward the village centre. When he entered through the sliding door of the restuarant, he saw Ten Ten busily serving tables, her back to him. Leaning beside the door, he waited patiently. After writing down some orders, and exchanging pleasantries with a handful of customers, she noticed him and smiled in acknowledgement. Neji inclined his head politely, wondering where, exactly, they were going to eat. The restuarant was full to the brim with people. Neji neither enjoyed crowded places nor thought it possible to find seats for the two of them. Just as he was considering calling off their plans, Ten Ten rushed past him and through the door behind the counter. Peering through the open door, he saw her have a hurried conversation with a few harrassed-looking waiters, rip off her apron and run back towards him.

"Come on, lets go." She stated with a friendly smile

"Where to, exactly?" Neji asked with a raised eyebrow

"Somewhere quieter!" Ten Ten shouted over a particularly loud group of customers

Neji nodded briskly in agreement.

Grabbing his hand Ten Ten weaved them through a number of tables before dragging him out the back door. They exited into a quiet back alley-way. Doubtless where the restuarant workers came to dump rubbish, thought Neji with slight disdain.

"I fail to see how this is a suitable place." Neji remarked frankly.

Ten Ten turned to him in joking frustration. "We're not eating here, silly. This is just the fastest way of getting to where I want to go."

"And where might that be, exactly?"

Ten Ten shouldered her backpack. Neji hadn't noticed her grab it on their way to the door.

"Its a secret." she replied with a grin. "Come on, let's go!" she exclaimed as she began running down the alleyway.

Neji stared after her in bemusement. "What are you waiting for? Come on!" He heard her shout behind her. Shaking his head at the impropriety of it (really, what kind of Hyuuga ran down a deserted alleyway like a child?), he began running after her.

It was hardly more than 10min until they exited the alley and began walking briskly through the outer streets of the village. When they reached the outer gate, Neji became suspicious.

"What kind of eating place exists in the forrest outside the village?" He asked skeptically.

"A natural one" Ten Ten remarked humorously. She seemed to be enjoying herself.

Another 10 minutes of brisk walking saw them pushing through the densest forrest Neji had encountered yet. "I hope we're reaching the end of this wild goose-chase soon." He stated matter-of-factly. The trees here were much smaller; small enough that a wise shinobi wouldn't risk jumping across their branches, but dense enough to make walking between them a chore, especially as the underbrush got thicker. "Is there even a point to thi-"

"We're here" Ten Ten interrupted. And with that, Neji saw her disappear between two large rocks. Frowning in confusion, Neji followed behind her, and promptly froze in his tracks.

Before him stood a massive lake, at least a hundred metres in diameter, still as glass. Sunlight shone on its crystal surface, painting its depths with waves of abstract webs. It truly was a sight to behold. How could such a large body of water exist inside Konoha's forrest?

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Ten Ten observed Neji's reaction with a slightly smug grin.

"It's quite the beauty isn't it?" She said, looking at it appraisingly. "Found it during one of my training sessions. I was practicing how to adapt to restrictive spaces that limit my weapon use, but I stumbled on this place instead."

Neji smiled. Well, at least it was quiet. He liked quiet.

Ten Ten collapsed on the smooth rock beneath them. "Now finally, its chow time."

Neji's perplexity was resolved when he saw her remove various food items from her backpack. In a much more graceful fashion, Neji sat cross-legged beside her.

"I don't know how you do that."

Once more confused, Neji raised an eyebrow. "Do what, exactly?"

"Move so gracefully. It's like you're always super conscious of where your limbs are relative to the rest of you." Ten Ten said jokingly as she placed a sandwich in his hands.

Neji stared at the stone in front of him, trying to think of how to reply.

"Makes sense though, you spend so much time training. Bodily control must be second nature to you now." Ten Ten took a bite into her sandwich.

"I don't see how this is important." Neji replied simply. "I don't carry myself any less than a member of my clan should." Carefully, he bit into his own sandwich, pleasantly surprised to discover avocado. Ten Ten smiled at the subtle enjoyment on her teammate's face. He had never said it, but Ten Ten knew it was his favourite food. They'd been teammates long enough that she'd picked up a few things about her comrade. Like his endless enthusiasm for training, and preference for things of beauty. She'd figured that if she was going to try to get him to relax, she ought to incorporate a few things that made him content. The guy needed to take a break once in a while. She'd tried telling him that herself, but she'd noticed her comments hadn't done much to change his rigorous daily routine.

A few minutes passed in silence between them, but Ten Ten wasn't bothered by it. Neji was a man of few words, unless he felt he had something important to talk about. Well, she'd just have to think of something.

"So, how has your training been going?" Ten Ten asked.

Neji turned his deep grey eyes to her. "It's been progressing well. I've almost perfected a new technique. It's a powerful, precise form of attack that i can use for long range combat."

"That sounds useful." Ten Ten mused thoughtfully. "Most of your attack styles are close-range by nature. It should be useful having a technique that allows long-range attack."

"Precisely." Neji replied seriously. "I decided it was one of the greatest weaknesses in my fighting style." Ten Ten's mind cast back to the day when Neji had returned to the village, injured beyond belief. He had been a genin at the time and up against a powerful older opponent specialising in long-ranged attacks. It had taken the medics hours of surgery and weeks of medical nin-jutsu to bring him back to full health. Doubtless, Neji was remembering that day too.

Finishing off the last bite of her sandwich Ten Ten sat back with a contented sigh. "Ah, nothing better than a good meal in good company." Finishing his own meal, Neji smiled another of his rare smiles. "The sandwich was really good. Thanks."

Ten Ten glowed with satisfaction. She'd gotten him to smile twice within a few minutes. That was a good sign.

Neji's eyes scanned across the lake. "I wonder how wide this lake is..." He pondered quietly.

"At least a hundred meters I'd say. Though I've never walked across it." Ten Ten remarked.

"Why?" Neji turned his attention to her again.

"Hmm, I dont know. It's always looked too peaceful. Maybe a part of me didn't want to disturb that. It's a bit silly I think."

Neji turned his gaze back to the glassy-blue scene. Slowly, he stood up.

"Neji?"

"I want to see how far this thing goes. You coming?"

Ten Ten shrugged lightly, standing up. "Sure, if you want to."

Neji broke into a light run, with Ten Ten following behind him. They tapped lightly across the surface of the lake, sending little ripples out where their chakra-charged feet touched the water. A few minutes later and they had yet to see the end of the lake. "That's strange. Surely the lake isn't that big?" Ten Ten asked in confusion. I could have sworn it ended sooner when I looked from the shore."

"Personally, I'm not the least surprised." Neji replied. "Your preconceptions caused you to assume the lake ended sooner that it does. It's a common human fault. To see only what we assume to exist."

After a few more minutes of running, they finally reached the lake's end. "Well, that was quite the adventure." Ten Ten remarked jokingly. "Want to head back now?" Neji nodded in reply.

On their way back, an idea hit Neji like a lightning bolt. Ten Ten stopped when she realised he was no longer following her. "Whats up?" she asked in confusion. She had gotten used to Neji's sudden swings in attention, but it was still off-balancing at times. In a way, Ten Ten supposed it was a good thing. If Neji wanted something, he usually just made it happen, then talked about it afterwards if necessary. Unlike others she knew who would talk about something for weeks before actually taking action. "It just occured to me that this would be the perfect training place for my new technique." he replied thoughtfully. Ten Ten stared at him. "You can't be serious."

Two still, grey eyes came to rest on her. "Yes, I am."

"But you just trained for half the day. And almost every full day this week. Neji, I know you're a shinobi, and a Hyuuga, but even shinobi and Hyuuga need to rest once in a while. And, you know, have fun."

"Fun?" Neji asked with some amusement.

"Yea, fun." Ten Ten replied stubbornly.

"What exactly do you mean when you say 'fun'?" Neji continued, his amusement and curiosity combining to form an interesting expression on his face.

"Well, i don't know. Doing things that make you happy, and fulfilled."

"I feel that way when I train." He replied matter-of-factly.

"Yes but i mean.." Ten Ten huffed in frustration. "I don't know, have you ever considered hanging out with your friends, or reading, or cooking? Any other enjoyable activity? It's not healthy to keep your interests so narrow. For one thing, you limit how much you can achieve."

Neji seemed to consider her statement carefully. "I agree."

Ten Ten was taken aback. "You do?"

"Yes. You're saying that by training without others and not engaging in other activities, I limit how much I can learn. Since other people and activities offer new perspectives and skills that can be cross-applied."

"Well...yes, actually. But there's more to life than just learning..."

"Prepare yourself."

"What?"

Neji smirked as he slowly slid into a fighting stance, his gaze focused. "I'm taking your advice."

"You're wha-" Ten Ten had to jump out of the way to avoid Neji's strike.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"Training." Neji stated as he performed a flying kick toward her face. Ten Ten blocked the kick with difficulty while struggling to make sense of the situation.

"Yea, but why with me!?"

"Because you said I should broaden my interests. So I've decided to train with you. For one thing, your combat specialises in long-range, so its a good chance to practice my new technique."

Ten Ten leapt backwards to get some breathing space. "Trust you to turn a simple outing into a training session." She said, shaking her head. "You want a fight? Ok, I'll give you a fight."

In a flash Neji appeared behind her, poised to deliver a blow from his gentle fist. Ten Ten turned around in shock.

"That's what I like to hear." Neji said with a smirk as he brought his hand down toward her.

Ten Ten vanished in a poof of smoke, a tree stump in her place.

 _'A substitution!'_ Neji activated his Byaakugan to scan his environment. "Nice move. It's been a while since we trained, so I hope you make this challenging for me."

A voice appeared from behind him. "Oh don't worry, I will." Neji barely had time to dodge the kunai arcing toward his back. Only a quick duck saved him from a nasty (but of course not fatal) gash on his shoulder. How on earth had she managed to sneak up on him like that? There was no way she was supposed to be able to sneak behind a Byaakugan user. Glancing to his right, he saw the answer to his question. Ten Ten had used a ninja scroll to temporarily store her being, after substituting into the forrest right behind him. Once Neji's back had turned she had released herself to strike. "Very interesting...I had no idea your scroll storing had advanced so much Ten Ten."

Ten Ten grinned self-satisfiedly. "That's just the beginning."

The next few hours saw the two ninja exchange many more attacks. Each trying to one-up the other. They became so engrossed in their battle that Neji completely forgot the original purpose of the fight.

"So, are you going to use your technique on me or what?"

Blinking in surprise, Neji relaxed out of his fighting stance. "Good point. I completely forgot about that."

Ten Ten snorted a laugh. "Too caught up in the battle itself, we didn't bother to focus on structured training."

Neji nodded in agreement. Then he turned thoughtful. "Can I try something?"

Ten Ten nodded.

Sliding into a low stance, Neji stretched his arms into a straight slope, pointing to the water below. Concentrating down the length of his arm, he infused chakra between his thumb and forefinger, as he'd done earlier today. Aiming carefully, he suddenly grabbed at the water below, simultaneously releasing a burst of chakra down his arm. A muffled explosion tossed water into the air.

"Hmm. Just as expected."

"What?" Ten Ten felt like she'd asked that question a lot today.

"Fluids are more unstable to work with than air or solids." Neji explained. "Solids lack movement, while air has plenty of movement but little force; unless, of course, it forms a strong wind. The reason its more difficult as genin to learn to walk on water versus up trees is because water is always flowing, and its particles are close enough together that this movement can upset the delicate balance of chakra that keeps us above water. Hence, we learn to constantly change the amount and force of chakra in our feet to match the ever-changing ebb and flow of the water. Make sense so far?"

Ten Ten rolled her eyes. "Of course, we learnt this stuff back at the academy."

Neji continued his explanation unabated. "Therefore, the same theory applies to the application of extremely precise chakra techniques on water. Many of my techniques require fine precision; the smallest imbalance of control can reduce its effectiveness. Water provides that slight imbalance."

Ten Ten was starting to see where he was going with this. "That's why you said this place would be perfect for your training. You want to use the water somehow to strengthen your chakra control."

"Yes" Neji smiled slightly. Ten Ten could tell he was quite happy with his new discovery.

"So how's this going to work?"

"Like this." And with that, Neji slapped his hand onto the water in front of him, causing a cascade of water to erupt in front of Ten Ten, a few metres away. Naturally, she jumped in surprise.

"How did you manage that?"

"By redirecting the flow of the water." Neji replied smugly. "Lets see if I can get some finer control over this..."

Slapping the water again, this time more gently, Neji caused a lighter spray to fly out in front of him. His smile widened. Swinging his arm again, he then quickly struck and retracted his hand, causing a stream of water to follow behind it. Another slap, then another. Soon Neji became engrossed in flinging water up into the air, all the while focusing greater and greater energy on refining the precision and force of his chakra. He became surrounded by a flurry of water drops, and his movements didn't still. One arm dashed across the water, followed by the graceful sweep of a leg, and another arc of his arm; flinging water into the air in a continuous flow. The sun caused some drops to sparkle slightly, adding another dimension to the sight. Soon Neji began striking the water in the air with his chakra, causing undulating patterns of light to shine from the force of his chakra-concentrated blows and the angle of the sun. Ten Ten couldn't help but marvel at the sight. So this was Hyuuga, Neji. Member of team 9, and prodigy of the Hyuuga clan; Lee's eternal rival and one of her dearest friends; a boy almost obsessed with training and excellence, and concentrated on maintaining the dignity and status of his clan. And yet...why did her heart warm at the sight before her? Surely there was something else about Neji she was missing, something important. Focusing on Neji's expression, Ten Ten had an epiphany as she realised what it was.

Neji's face was transfigured with delight and his eyes had a faraway look to them. It was almost as though with each push of water into the air he was reaching for something. Analysing further, Ten Ten noticed how his eyes slanted toward the sun, as though he were longing to soar into the sky and leave this physical world behind. The intensity of his eyes... Ten Ten had the clear mental image of a falcon, majestic and free, soaring above the clouds and observing serenely the distant pattern of the world below. Could it be that Neji desired...freedom? But from what? The restrictions of the Hyuuga clan? The constraint of other's expectations?

One thing was clear to her, however. She had overlooked something vitally important about Neji Hyuuga. The boy held a simmering depth of emotion in his heart. Neji had been right, the preconceptions Ten Ten held of him had caused her to see only what she assumed to exist. Like the lake whose distance she had misjudged, she had misjudged the depth of her comrade's character, and aspirations.

Just then, Ten Ten was shocked out of her musings by a spray of water in her direction. Soaked, she glanced up in surprise to see Neji smirking. She returned his smirk with one of her own. Concentrating a burst of chakra down her arms she shoved her hands into the water in front of her, angling it so that a large splash jumped toward Neji. He dodged it as lithely as a cat, returning her barrage with a far more precise attack of his own. This time she was ready for it and, dodging to the side she ran toward her comrade, ready to tackle him down. Neji responded with a smug smile and unleashed a torrent of miniature streams of water, each precisely aimed to taunt and throw her off balance. Stumbling slightly, Ten Ten, now thoroughly soaked, gritted her teeth and glared at Neji. What shocked her, however, was to see Neji laughing. With back slightly bent and arms hugging his stomach, THE Neji Hyuuga seemed to be chuckling uncontrollably. Well...that wasn't something you saw everyday.

"What's so funny?" Ten Ten asked good-naturedly.

Neji could only shake his head at her, continuing to laugh.

Grinning slightly, Ten Ten saw her chance, and splashed another stream of water toward Neji.

He didn't even try to dodge this time; his practice up till now having soaked him anyway. But still, Ten Ten felt a rush of satisfaction as the spurt of water landed on his head, resoaking his hair.

Neji's laughs seemed to have died down to a chuckle here and there. Ten Ten was still shocked that the boy had it in him to laugh at all. Once again her preconceptions had been wrong. Smiling in challenge, Neji proceeded to engage her with a flurry of water attacks, each stream of water directed precisely toward its target. Ten Ten knew he had an advantage in this game, but still couldn't help enjoy the fight. She weaved and ducked through his attacks, each time striving to reach and tackle him, and each time being just kept at bay by his now formidable control of water sprays. Shoving her hand into the water, she released another haphazard stream in his direction, which he again dodged easily. But Ten Ten continued undeterred. Soon the two of them were both chuckling as they wove through attack after attack, neither able to get the upper hand on the other, and neither really caring. Finally, however, Ten Ten saw her chance. Shoving both arms into the water she released two massive streams toward Neji. He easily dodged them, as expected, but hadn't noticed Ten Ten running behind the streams. As soon as he dodged to the side Ten Ten was on him, and the two of them fell into the lake with a massive splash. Floating underwater they looked at each other in amusement, before slowly propelling themselves toward the surface. Ten Ten had forgotten how peaceful it was underwater, it was like the world outside had faded into silence.

Surfacing at the same time, Ten Ten and Neji stared at each other before both dissolving into laughter. Ten Ten hadn't planned any of the things that happened today, but she was somehow happy things turned out the way they did.

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"Well, that was fun." Ten Ten commented as the two of them walked through the forrest on their way back to the village. "Was it?" Neji asked in amusement. Ten Ten was taken aback by her choice of words. She'd been talking to Neji about having fun earlier today. Perhaps he had actually taken her words to heart? Neji smiled knowingly at Ten Ten. "We should train again sometime. I feel like I got a lot out of today." His eyes seemed to dance in amusement.

Ten Ten didn't know what to think anymore when Neji said 'training'. But she figured it couldn't hurt to play along. "Hmm, yea I think I did too. I look forward to our next training session." She replied with a smile. As the two of them walked through the outer gates of Konoha, they received a strange loook from the guards, and Ten Ten remembered the two of them were still soaking wet. They'd probably receive many more looks like that.

Just then, the two of them rounded the corner to see Naruto and Hinata strolling, hand in hand. At the sight of them, Naruto stopped in surprise. "What happened to you two?" He asked curiously. Neji was quick to answer. "A training session." Naruto looked between Neji and Ten Ten, noting the comfortable proximity between them and Neji's relaxed posture. Both things not normally witnessed around the stiff Hyuuga. "Riiiiight. 'Training'." Naruto drawled with a knowing smile. "Practicing your water jutsu?" He asked teasingly. "As a matter of fact, yes." Ten Ten replied, straight-faced. Hinata smiled at Naruto's antics, remembering the day she and Naruto had had to use that same excuse. Smiling warmly, she took Naruto's hand into her own again. "Please excuse us, Ten Ten, Neji, we were just on our way to the grocery store. I trust you were both headed to a place to dry off."

"Thank you, cousin." Neji replied politely.

As they were walking off, however, Hinata couldn't resist a little comment. "Oh, and Neji? Next time you have a water fight, make sure you invite us along too." Hinata grinned cheekily, clearly imagining the look of surprise and scrutiny on Neji's face. Her imagination wasn't far off, as Ten Ten and Neji turned to marvel at Hinata's intuition. "That cousin of mine..." Neji muttered "always seems to know what's going on. Particularly with me." Neji grimaced slightly.

"Must be hard to hide anything in the Hyuuga household." Ten Ten commented in amusement.

"Nice one Hinata-chan." Naruto whispered to Hinata, as they continued their walk toward the grocery store. Hinata giggled slightly at her partner's praise. Life was rich, good and full of opportunity for progress and love. She was glad her cousin Neji was beginning to appreciate that too.


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